Horses N' Hearts
by Richie the Talekeeper
Summary: Final Chapter uploaded, please R/R!
1. The Beginning of It

A rooster crowed outside

A rooster crowed outside. The sun was pouring through the open window as it announced the arrival of a bright new day in Kokiri Village. The birds were singing, the water was trickling in the stream, and the Kokiri children were playing outside. 

Well, almost all of them. 

Link was lying on his wooden bed, rolling all over the place, snoring loudly. He had slept in again, and this time, it was pretty late. The high sun announced that it was noon, and our lazy hero was still in bed. Finally, he jolted awake when he heard a voice: 

"Link! Link, you sleepyhead, wake up!" 

He opened his eyes, expecting to see his fairy, Navi. But instead, he saw two huge green eyes. He jumped up, and realized as she laughed that it was Saria, one of his friends. 

"How long are you going to sleep? You sound like a a saw sawing wood!" she joked. 

"I'm... I'm really tired..." Link yawned. "For some odd reason, I'm just incredibly tired..." 

"Oh!" Saria cried out, pointing out the window. "Look, Link!" Link looked out the window to see a fairy hovering outside the window. 

"So?" Link said, surprised to see that she had'nt reciognized Navi. 

"Does this mean that you've gotten a fairy!" she giggled excitedly. "Oh, wait till I tell the whol village!" And she ran outside, eager to tell the rest of the kids the big news. Link, however, wasnt too choked up about this. 

"How come Saria didnt reciognize you?" he asked Navi when she hovered near him. 

"Don't you remember? You were sent back into the past! Our whole entire adventure never even happened!" she nearly shouted. 

"Then how come I remember it?" Link asked her, twiddling his finger in his ear since she had yelled so loudly. 

"Because, you're the hero, and I'm your fairy!" Navi said proudly. "We both came back together! Saria from the future and the rest of them didnt come back, because they werent with us!" 

"B...but doesnt that mean that Gannondorf could come back to haunt us again?" Link said, alarmed. 

"No, because in the future, when he's supposed to come back into full power, he's really dead!" Navi explained. 

"Oh. Well, lets go!" Link said, jumping out of bed. He walked over to the door, and Navi followed uncertainly. 

"Where are we going?" she asked. 

"To Hyrule Castle. I wanna see the Princess." Link said. He started climbing down the ladder back down to earth, but Navi stopped him. 

"Weren't you listening to a word that I said?" she sighed. "The Princess doesnt reciognize you! This is the past, BEFORE she met you!" 

"Well, I'll just go introduce myself!" Link said, climbing down the rest of the ladder and walking toward the exit of Kokiri Village. 

"Well, you might want this!" Navi called as she zipped back inside. She returned pushing Link's satchel. It fell over the ladder, and hit the ground with a loud clunk. Link retrieved it, and was surprised to find all of his items still in it. 

"Lemme guess: I came with my satchel, so it still has all the stuff from the future." Link grinned. 

"Now you're getting it." Navi said. The two of them walked out of the forest, ignoring the Kokiri kid who screamed at them not to go out or else they would die a horrible death. They both knew that Link was really a Hyrulian, therefore he wouldnt die. They walked out, and Link sheilded his eyes from the bright sun of the field. It was a beautiful day in Hyrule, and Link didnt want to waste it. He started running toward the castle, but he skidded to a stop halfway there, at Lon Lon Ranch. 

"Why'd you stop?" asked Navi, who had run right into him. 

"I wanna say hi to some... friends." Link said, smiling. He walked into the ranch, with Navi following, grumbling.


	2. Malon

Link walked into Lon Lon Ranch, memories flooding his mind

Link walked into Lon Lon Ranch, memories flooding his mind. He remembered the first time that he had gone here, the first time that he had rode Epona, the first time that he'd met Malon... 

The first time he'd met Malon in the busy marketplace of Hyrule Castle, the first thing he noticed was how pretty she was. She had long red hair, and a smile that made him grin as well. She was kind, friendly, and smart. _Kind of funny..._ he'd thought. _I'd never noticed how beautiful she was..._ He shook off his thoughts of memories, and walked up to the main gate... 

...and there she was. Singing in the pasture, letting a familiar looking horse eat an apple out of her hand. He smiled when she saw her there, and didnt notice Navi swirling around his face untill... 

"YO! Lover boy! Snap outta it!" she screeched at him. Link jumped, and blushed. Malon abruptly stopped singing, and looked over at Link, surprised. Link looked up at her, and smiled. She walked over to him, and looked curiously at him. 

"Yes?" she asked. "Can I help you?" 

Link was dumbfounded. "Dont you know who I am?" he asked her. But Navi reminded him. 

"HELLOOOOOOOO?!" she yelled at him, bopping him on the head. "She doesnt remember you, remember?" 

"Oh yeah..." Link muttered. 

"Ooh! Is that a fairy?" Malon cooed, looking at Navi. "Cool! Does that mean that you're from the forest?" 

"Yep!" Link said proudly as Navi perched on his shoulder. 

"B..but I thought if the kids that lived there left, they would die!" Malon said, her mouth curved into an O. 

"I guess I just go lucky." Link winked. 

"Say Fairy Boy, whats your name?" Malon asked, peering into his eyes. 

"Link." he said, gazing back at her. He must have been staring too long, because Malon suddenly backed away and said, "Oh." 

"Well, I'm Malon!" she said, holding out her hand. "My dad and his assistant run this farm, and I help them!" 

Link shook her hand, and looked over at Epona. "Is that your horse?" he asked, as if he didnt know. 

"Yup! This here is Epona!" Malon said, and whistled with her fingers. Epona knickered and galloped over to her. Malon ran her fingers down her mane, and Epona whinneyed. Link walked over to pet her, but Epona backed away uncertainly. 

"Oh, you gotta play a special song to..." Malon started to say what to do, but Link had already whipped out his ocarnia and started to play Epona's Song. THe horse's ears lifted up, and she started to walk toward Link. When she had gotten close enough, Link petted her mane, and she whinneyed in joy. 

Malon was flabbergasted. 

"How did you know the song?" she asked him, dumbfounded. 

"Oh, er... I heard you singing it!" Link said quickly. "You have a lovevly voice." 

"Oh, thanks!" Malon said, blushing. "Well, I gotta go. See ya." And with that, she started walking toward the barn, with Epona in tow. Link sighed as he looked at her, and only walked away when Navi screamed at him to get his rear in gear. 

Malon, however, was thinking almost the exact same thoughts. _Ooh, he's cute! But he seems so familiar..._


	3. The Crest of the Royal Family

Link walked into the bustling marketplace of Hyrule, and was immediately swarmed by merchants, screaming at Link to buy their 

Link walked into the bustling marketplace of Hyrule, and was immediately swarmed by merchants, screaming at Link to buy their stuff. 

"Fresh apples! Fresh oranges! Fresh fruit!" 

"Hyrulian Sheilds! Incredibly cheap!" 

"GYM SOCKS! GET'CHA GYM SOCKS RIGHT HERE!" 

Link snickered at the fool who was selling the socks, and walked up to the gates of the castle. As he attempted to walk, a guard ran in front of him, holding out his spear threatingly. 

"Sorry kid, but nobody can pass!" he growled, jabbing at Link to back away. 

"B..but...!" Link had an insight. He rummaged around in his satchel, and pulled out the letter that the Princess had given him. 

"See here? This is Princess Zelda's signature!" he said importantly, holding it up to the guard. The guard looked intently at the letter, as if to see if it were a hoax. Finally, he grunted. 

"Alright kid, you can pass. But no funny buisness!" the guard warned. "Here, take this so none of the other guards will bug ya." He hurled a tiny sheild with the mark of the Royal Family, and Link took it graciously. He thanked the guard, and walked causually toward the castle. 

"Good thinking Link!" Navi cheered, flying out from under his hat. "That was brilliant!" 

"Well, I had to go see the Princess." Link shrugged. "After all I have to..." He was cut off by a cry of help. He whirled around, and saw Malon struggling to get in, but the guard had cut her off. Link ran back to help. 

"I said, nobody gets through!" the guard roared, throwing Malon back. "I already had one kid get through, and I sure as hell aint gonna let some bi.." 

"Hey! She's with me!" Link said, running in front of the guard. "She kinda just fell back." The guard looked Link dead in the eyes, and Link struggled not to look guilty. 

"If you're with her... than whats her name?" the guard challenged him. 

"Malon." Link said simply. Malon nodded her head, and the guard muttered something. 

"Fine. You can pass. But if there's any funny buisness, you can be sure I'll be the first one to throw you in the dungeon, ya got it?" he snarled. Malon and Link both nodded their heads in sync, and the guard told them to go. 

"What are you doing here?" Link hissed to Malon as the walked up to the huge castle. 

"My dad's here giving the Royal Family their milk." she explained. Then she smiled and thought, _And I just wanna make sure you dont get busted._

"Oh. Alrighty." Link shrugged. They finally reached the massive door, and Link knocked on it. _Funny,_ he thought. _That I dont have to sneak in this time._ A butler came to the door, poking his huge nose out the door. Link showed him their special sheild, and the butler showed them inside. They stepped in, and marveled at the massive entrance hall, and started walking down a long red carpet. They reached another huge door, and the butler told them to wait until whoever was in there was done speaking to the King. Malon and Link sat on two wooden chairs, and attempted to engage in conversation. 

"So... is this your first time outside that forest?" Malon asked him. 

"Yeah, I was too scared of suddenly falling dead on the ground to leave." Link joked and Malon giggled. 

"I havent been outside the ranch much either." Malon said. "I'm the one who's supposed to watch the horses, but all of them are boring except for Epona. She's my favorite." 

"Yeah, she's cool." Link agreed. The two of them fell into silence again, and the silence was only broken when the great doors swung open, and a man strode out. Link gasped at the man, who looked back at them and sneered. 

"What? What's wrong?" Malon asked him, alarmed at his worried face. 

"Gannondorf!" Link whispered. "He's alive!"


	4. The Princess and the Portal

"Gannondorf

"Gannondorf?" Malon asked Link, looking puzzled. But Link didnt respond. He simply looked at Gannondorf as he exited with his mouth wide open. 

"Whoops, so I guess he is alive?" Navi giggled nervously from somewhere in Link's hat. 

"NOW you tell me..." Link hissed to her. The butler came out, and escorted them into the courtyard, where Princess Zelda was sitting with her back turned to them. The butler cleared his throat, and she turned around, surprised. 

"Oh!" she said, embarassed. "Who might you be?" Link introduced himself (again) and Zelda smiled. 

"Your name... it sounds familiar..." she said mysteriously. 

"Deja Vu." Navi laughed. Link shushed her to be quiet. Malon stepped foward, and bowed before the Princess. 

"My name is Malon, and my father was supposed to drop of the milk this morning. We work at the Lon Lon Ranch. Have you seen him at all?" she asked her. 

"Oh, yes, we found a man just outside the castle, fast asleep with a crate full of milk." the Princess giggled. "After we woke him, he left, which wasnt too long ago." 

"He ALWAYS falls asleep..." Malon sighed. Zelda laughed again, and she turned toward Link. Right on cue, Navi popped outside of his hat. 

"Wow!" Zelda said, her eyes widening. "Is that a fairy?" Link nodded, and Zelda clapped her hands with joy. 

"I had a dream about a boy with a fairy!" she explained. "Do you have an ocarnia?" Link pulled his out, and Zelda was, if possible, even more happy. 

"Can you play this? Now, if you can, dont be surprised if what happens next happens." she said, She started to sing Zelda's Lullaby, and Link obediantly started playing. And Malon, being bored, started to sing along. The three of them sung (and played) for a bit, then all of a sudden, a purple portal appeared. 

"I knew it!" Zelda cried out. She ran toward it, ignoring the warnings of both Link and Malon, and ran inside of it. Link looked at Malon, and she looked back, looking as puzzled as he was. Link shrugged, and walked inside the portal. Malon sighed, and started to follow them, thinking, _Why am I getting the feeling that this is becoming more of an adventure than a visit?_


	5. Back to the Future

As Malon stepped through the portal, she felt an icy cold chill pass through her body

As Malon stepped through the portal, she felt an icy cold chill pass through her body. She walked through the portal all the way... and saw Link. But it wasnt the Link that she knew. This Link was much older, stronger, and (in her opinion)... _hot._

"What took ya?" he asked her, grinning. 

"How come you're... older?" she asked him uncertainly, not being able to take her eyes of all his muscles and other manly stuff. 

"What about you? Seen yourself in a mirror lately? Here." Link held up his Mirror Sheild, and Malon gasped. She was older too! She was a bit paler, and her red hair was even longer. Through all the excitement, she remembered something. 

"Where's Zelda?" she asked Link. His grin faded, and he shook his head. 

"I dunno." he confessed. "I came through, and Zelda wasnt here..." Malon suddenly realized where they were. Hyrule Castle... but this wasnt the happy, bright Hyrule Castle that she knew. This one was dark, and more evil looking. 

"I...is this the future?" she asked Link uncertainly. 

"From the looks of it, yep." he said grimly. He drew his sword, which was much bigger than Malon rememberd, and started walking toward the castle. 

"W-wait!" Malon cried, running after him. "Where are you going?!" 

"Into the castle... where else?" Link said, pointing his sword toward the grim stronghold. 

"And just leave me here?" Malon said incredulously. "Are you crazy?" Link looked into her eyes, and saw that she was already plenty scared. 

"Oh... alright." he finally decided. "But stay close to me, and dont wander away!" Malon promised that she wouldnt, and the two of them ventured into the castle... 

As soon as they reached the gate, they already faced danger. Two wolf-like creatures suddenly sprouted from the ground, growling and howling. Link drew his sword, and charged at one, He delt it a massive blow, and winced as blood spilled out of the wound. He wasnt used to battle anymore. 

A scream snapped him from his senses, and he whirled around to see the other Wolfos advancing on Malon, who had backed to the corner in terror. Link ran over to it, and slashed it in the back, cracking its spine. The Wolfos howled in pain, and it slumped to the ground, not able to move. 

"You okay?" Link asked Malon, struggling to ignore the whimpers of agony from the Wolfos. 

"Y-yeah..." Malon said, wiping the sweat off her face. "Thanks." 

"No problem." Link sighed. "But you gotta be careful around here from now on. You never know whats gonna pop around from the corner." Link took Malon's hand, smiled at her, and led her into the castle, not even aware of what kind of dangers awaited them... 


	6. The Return of the Dark King

The two of them ventured into the unknown, exploring into the castle, hoping that they would find their lost friend. What they REALLY didnt know, however, was one another's feelings for each other. 

Link didnt really want to let Malon get hurt. Period. He was gonna protect her until the end, or at least until they found Zelda. After that... he didnt know what would happen. He didnt know if Zelda had the Ocarnia of Time, so they might not even be able to return to the past. So then what would they do? 

Malon, however, had completely different thoughts. Though she didnt want her love to be hurt either, she didnt exactly want Link hovering around her like a bodyguard. She wanted this adventure to be over as soon as possible, and for the two of them to settle down and get to know each other better... maybe even go out or something... Unfortunatly, fate came crashing down on the couple's dreams (and in a negative way.) 

As they were trekking through the deep, dank castle, a Moblin suddenly leaped out from behind a pillar, raising its pike menacingly. 

"Watch out!" Link yelled, weilding his own blade. But another pair of Wolfos ran out from the same pillar the Moblin had surprised them from, and knocked him to the ground. The Moblin grabbed Malon in its disgusting claws, and dragged her away. 

"LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINK!!!" Malon screamed as she disappeared into the darkness of the passageway. Link fought against the Wolfos fiercely. He broke free from them with a strong pull of his arm, and took his sword out with a flash. Too consumed with the loss of his new-found love, he didnt care about the Wolfos' cries and screams of agony as he cut them up into individual pieces. He was lost in his own mind. Before he had even known it, he had disembodied both the Wolfos' in a matter of seconds. 

Finally, he got a hold of himself. He looked down at the pools of blood surrounding the Wolfos carcasses, and froze. Slowly, his eyes moved from the limp bodies to his sword. It was drenched in blood. 

Link moaned softly as he sunk to the ground. 

"What the hell have I done?" he whispered quietly. "I'm no killer... the only person I really want to kill is the person behind this... Gannondorf..." Filled with the same cold fury as he had felt when he destroyed the Wolfos, he stood straight up, looked bitterly at the dead bodies of the monsters, and ventured on into the darkness.

Malon, however, had troubles of her own. The Moblin had taken her down a seperate passageway from the one that Link had just ran down, and the Moblin shut her mouth with its nauseating hand to keep her from shouting out. When Link's footsteps faded away, the Moblin took its hand off Malon's mouth, and she screamed. And screamed. But there was no reply from Link. Tears poured silently down her face. Her hero had just gone the wrong way... and if this Moblin killed her, she would never see him again. 

But the Moblin didnt kill her. It just kept on carrying her down the corridor, not even looking down at her. Finally, as if they had been walking for hours, the Moblin reached a door. It opened it... and a flood of sunlight nearly blinded Malon. The Moblin carried her inside... and tossed her into a corner. As she desperately tried to scrabble away into the corner, the monster that had carried her there chained her to the wall. It then grunted, as if to say it was sorry, and walked out the door. Malon sat ther in silence, still chained to the wall. Suddenly, it began to raise. It rose and rose and rose... until she had reached another floor. There, she looked across the room... and there was Zelda, encased in a crystal. 

"Zelda!" Malon cried out, concerned for her new friend. But a new terror crept up on her when her eyes darted to the other side of the room... where a familiar man was playing a chilling melody on the organ. Malon reciognized him immediatly, and meant to scream his name out, but it only came out as a whisper. 

"_Gannondorf._" 


	7. The Return of a Nightmare

"So... YOU are the young girl that fool Link has been traveling with!" Gannondorf said, grinning sinisterly at Malon. "I've been looking a long time for you..." 

"Lemme go!" Malon yelled at him, struggling at her chains. "Link will save me, and kill you! Just wait and see!" 

"Hah! And she's feisty too!" Gannondorf laughed, his putrid breath blasting across her face. "Of course, I didnt just kidnap you to simply make lover-boy worried about you... oh no, there's much more I'm going to do with you, girl." Gannondorf swished his hands, and Zelda reached into her pocket. She extracted the Ocarina of Time, and began playing _The Song of Time._' 

"Stoppit, Zelda!" Malon screamed at her. "Stop playing!" 

"She is under _my_ power now." Gannondorf said, his smile widening. "Now, girl, start singing that song... let me hear your beautiful voice..." 

"No!" Malon shouted, closing her eyes. "I wont do it... I wont do it..." 

"Really?" Gannondorf chuckled. "We shall see about that..."  
------------------- 

Link trekked through the castle, his mind flooded with one thing: Malon. "Dammit, why did she have to come with us?" Link growled, almost angry at her. "What does she have to do with me and Zelda? The last time I fought Gannondorf, she had nothing to do with it, but give me Epona..." 

Link was cut off from his thoughts as a Moblin lumbered from behind a wall. Link drew the Master Sword, but, amazingly, this Moblin spoke to him: 

"Brave warrior, I hold the knowledge you seek." the Moblin rumbled. 

"You know where Malon is?" Link shouted at it. "Tell me!" 

"Before I tell you, you must solve my riddle." the Moblin growled. "Here it is: I can move entire mountains, drain massive lakes. But I can tell you one thing: my tune is not fake. What am I?" Link stood there, looking up at the massive Moblin. Finally, it clicked in his head. 

"Haven't used this little thing in a while..." Link muttered, pulling his Fairy Ocarina out of his satchel. He put the tiny instrument to his lips, and played _Zelda's Lullaby._

The Moblin nodded its head, and bellowed, "That is correct." The Moblin began to glow, and it shrunk and became more humanlike... soon, the Moblin was gone, and a shrewd old man had taken its place. 

"Your love for Zelda is obvious... but your love for the farm girl is imminent. Good luck, Hero of Time." And in a brilliant flash of light, the Sage of Light disappeared.  
-------------------------- 

Link continued his journey through the castle, and he finally reached the final door. It was the familiar gigantic door with the huge brass lock. But this time, the door was unlocked... Link pushed the door open, and peeked inside. 

Zelda was playing _The Song of Time_ on her Ocarina, and Malon and Gannondorf were accompanying her on voice and organ. 

"Stop!" Link yelled. The two girls blinked and shook their heads, as if they were stepping out of a trance. 

"Link?" Zelda and Malon said in unison. But it was much too late. Gannondorf played on final chord on the organ, and a Triforce symbol lit up on the ground, and a vortex opened up in the center. Gannondorf swirled his hand again, and Zelda and Malon burst from their chambers and flew toward the portal. 

"_Liiiiiiiiiiiiink!!!_" Malon shrieked as she swirled into the vortex. Link made a frantic grab for her, but the suction was too strong. With a loud sucking noise, Malon and Zelda were gone. Gannondorf made a peace sign, and jumped into the portal. And with a blast, the vortex sealed shut. 

In an instant, they were gone. 


	8. Terror

Link ran for the spot where the portal had vanished, and scrambled and felt all around it, but there was nothing. Both Malon and Zelda were gone. He pounded his fist into the ground, and cursed. 

"Dammit!" Link yelled, smashing his fist into the stone floor again. "I lost them... Zelda... _Malon..._" Link got up, and glumly grabbed his sword. Suddenly, the ground underneath him began swirling. Before Link could even react, he was sucked into the portal, and his mind swam into nothingness.  
-------------- 

Link's eyes snapped open, and he was immediatly blinded by a bright ray of sunlight. Link rubbed his eyes, and sat up. But his heart stopped dead when he saw the sight before him. He was back in Kokiri Forest... but it wasnt the same Kokiri Forest than he had remembered. All the trees were burned to the ground, and there were corpses all around him. Link ran around the village, tears streaking down his face as he reciognized familiar faces, their eyes wide open, the mouth gaping. Finally, Link reached Saria's house. With his hands trembling, he opened the door, and nearly had a heart attack. 

There was blood splattered all around the once serene scene. Mido was sitting in the corner, slumped over, a great cut acoross his head. Link felt for a pulse. Nothing. He dropped the hand with a heavy heart, and he walked through an ocean of Kokiri bodies, and he reached a table when he saw a tuft of green hair sticking from under the table. 

"Oh, God..." Link whispered when he realized that it was Saria. He gently picked up the limp body, and shuddered when he saw a huge sword sticking straight through her. Link shivered again, and plucked a note from the sword, stained with blood. 

_Link,  
How does it feel to have your entire village destroyed? Your best friends killed? The Sage of the Forest dead with MY sword sticking through her? Must feel pretty bad, right? Well, thats two Sages down, five more to go? Oh, and one last thing: how does it feel to have the love of your life snatched away from you like a cookie? Well, I can tell you one thing: she's not too happy right now, after what I did to her!  
Gannondorf_

Link crumpled up the note, and hurled it out the window, a grimace of pain and anger on his face. He picked up Saria's body ever so carefully, took her outside, and bueried her. Finally, he took out the Kokiri Sword, and jammed it into her grave as a marker. With a heart full of intense anger, Link then left his home village, seeking vengance...

--------------

Link walked onto the Hyrule Field, and his thoughts for exracting revenge on Gannondorf were once again halted as soon as he stepped onto the Field... well, I couldnt really call it a field now. Instead of Hyrule Field being there, it was now a desolate wasteland with withering trees, and monsters as far as the eye could see. And looming in the distance, where Hyrule Castle should have been, was a monstrous castle. _Gannon's Castle, I presume._ Link thought grimly. He started to walk out onto the field, but a mutated Skutalla scuttled in front of him. And what a muation it was! Six feet tall with menacing pincers, the spider monster advanced on him with frightning speed. Before Link knew it, the Skutalla had pounced onto him, its putrid breath growling right in his face. 

Link drew his sword, drew it back, and impaled the Skutalla right in its soft underbelly. The spider screeched as disgusting green blood gushed from the wound. Link rolled from under the spider, but unfortunatly, the beast wasnt finished off yet. It stumbled to its feet, and charged at Link with animalistic fury. Link leaped into the air, and brought down his sword, stabbing style. There was a sickening _splut_ as Link's sword split the Skutalla's heart, and the enormous spider wriggled its life away. 

Link kneeled next to the spider's carcass, panting heavily. _That was a nice warm up..._ he gasped in his mind. Suddenly, there was a rumbling sound behind him. He whirled around just in time to see a Dinfols' blade whiz a millimeter away from his nose. He jumped backwards, and brought up his own sword to block the Dinofols' next attack. _I guess this is the main course, then._ Link thought as he glared at his reptilian foes. There were three Dinofols' in all, each of them hissing nastily at him. Link held his sword tightly, sweat dripping down his face in beads. Finally... a movement! One Dinofols' had lunged straight at him! Link ducked the blade, and impaled the lizard on his sword, killing it instantly. The other two Dinofols' leaped at him, spitting angrily. Link blocked one of the Dinofols' blades, but the other was much to fast for him. A stab of pain seared across his back as the sword ripped across his spine. 

Link bellowed out in pain, and the rage erupted in his mind. He went in a frenzy, slashing and cutting al over the place. The Dinofols' were immediatly renamed "Chopped Suey" as Link turned into the "Human Lawnmower" When he finally got a hold on his emotions, he looked down with cold eyes at the twitching Dinofols' corpses. _I dont give a damn about you..._ He thought as he started walking toward Gannondorf's Castle. _And after I save Malon, I'm gonna do the same thing to you, Gannondorf!_


	9. The End?

After traveling for quite some time, dodging monsters and keeping on track, Link finally reached the Hyrule Marketplace... but it wasnt the marketplace he remembered. Heck, it wasnt even the same marketplace with all the zombies in it. No... _this_ marketplace was much different... much _darker_... 

"Something's not right here." Link muttered to himself. He put his hand on the hilt of his sword, and walked through the marketplace. It was eerie. The only sounds that he could hear were the resounding steps of his own feet. They echoed through the silent marketplace, and they kept following Link all the way up to the gates of Hyrule Castle, which was exactly where he went. 

"Now I KNOW something's not right." Link said to himself. It was dead silent in the marketplace, so silent that you could hear a pin drop, but the castle wasnt so silent. Link could hear something going on in the castle... but what? He strained his ears, but he couldnt hear anything but a distant hum. He let out a sigh, and sauntered up to the castle gates. _Well, here I go... again._ he thought. He tried to open the front door, but it was bolted shut. He took out his blade, took aim, and swung his sword at it. 

_FSSSSSSSHHZZZZZZT!_

Link was blasted backwards by something, and landed roughly onto the ground. He struggled back to his feet, and carefully walked up to the door. Gently, he prodded his sword at the gate. 

_FSSSSSSSHHZZZZZZT!_

Once again, he was sent flying again by a mysterious force guarding the door. 

"Looks like I gotta find another way in." he growled, brushing dirt from his tunic. He scanned the castle, and a ledge caught his eye. It was right below a window, and it was jutting outward. He pulled out his Longshot, took aim, and fired. His tool clinked on the ledge, and with a tug, pulled Link up to the window. He climbed inside, and was immediatly met with the shock of his life. 

Doors! Hundreds of them! All around him! He looked around wildly, but only found doors, doors, and more doors. _Dammit, this is one of Gannondorf's tricks!_ he cursed in his mind. He walked over to a row of doors, and scanned them. Nope, there was nothing peculiar about any of them. He looked around the room, and saw nothing strange about any of the doors. None stood out. 

"Looks like I'm gonna have to try all of them." he whispered. He approached the first door... but it swung open before he even touched it. A blast of hot, stinky breath reached his face, and he staggered back. A Moblin lumbered out from the door, swinging around a pike. Link readied his sword... but another door opened, revealing another Moblin. Then another... this time, a Wolfos. One by one, every single door in the castle opened, revealing the monster inside of it. 

"So... Hero of Time! How does it feel now that you are completely surrounded and outnumbered?" 

Link looked upward, still gripping his sword tightly. Yes... of course. It was Gannondorf. 

"Where's Malon and Zelda?" he bellowed up to his rival. 

"Oh, dont worry. They're fine." Gannondorf replied with a sinistar grin on his face. "_You're_ the one you should be worrying about. Goodbye, _boy._" Gannondorf snapped his pointy fingers, and he disappeared in a puff of smoke. The monsters in the room growled, roared, shrieked, or did whatever they were supposed to do. Then... they charged. A stampede... no... a WAVE of monsters literally hurled themselves right at Link. 

_Well, this was fun while it lasted... time to take down as many as these bastards I can!_ Link cried out inside his mind as he charged at the wall of monsters, preparing for a slaughter... 


	10. Reunion of Friends and Foes

This were looking pretty grim for Link. Hundreds and hundreds of monster. Gannondorf looking down at him, grinning wickedly down at him, waiting for his foe to finally meet his doom. Link glared at the impossible odds against him as he continued to charge. Suddenly a Deku Scrub burst from the ground right in front of him. The vile plant snapped its evil jaws right in front of Link's face, but the Hero of Time sliced it off right at the stem. But the Scrub had cut off his attack. The wall of monsters slammed into him with full force, and before Link knew it, he was bruised, bloodied, cut, and skewed in the blink of an eye. Yet through all of his pain, he could only hear one thing: the laughter of Gannondorf above him.  
  
"You." Link growled through gritted teeth. "If I'm going to take anyone down, its gonna be you you little mother..." Link didnt even get to finish his sentance, for he had already leaped onto the back of a Moblin and hurled himself at his ultimate rival. Gannondorf was completely taken aback from Link's assault, and both men fell to the hard ground. Link slashed violently at Gannondorf's face, scarring it forever. With a roar of fury, Gannondorf blasted Link off of him with a shadow attack, and Link rolled a few feet before coming to a grim stop against the wall. And that stop wasn't pretty. The Hero of Time could feel his mind shutting down. He could feel himself breathing his last breaths. And he could feel his own dispair.  
  
"Well, well, well." The Evil King sneered as he got back to his feet, ignoring the blood gushing from his own facial wounds. "This is the end of you, boy. I'll tell your precious Malon and Zelda how this ended, and laugh when they scream. So long, Hero of Time."  
  
Link shut his eyes, seeing only black now. All of a sudden, he could hear Gannondorf gasp. Then he heard an explosion, and a massive rush of heat washed over him. A silence passed, and Link didnt know if he had blacked out or not. But now all he could feel was someone's hands shaking him, and a girl's voice.  
  
"_Link. Link! Oh God, Link, wake up! WAKE UP!!!_"  
  
And he knew no more.  
  
---  
  
_....  
  
...wha? The hell happened? Where am I? Is this heaven or something...? Oh, it has to be, because I'm dead... and there's an angel above me. Oh wait. Thats not an angel. Thats..._  
  
"... Malon."  
  
Link opened his eyes all the way, and stared back at the girl that was looking at him with watery eyes. Link grinned at her, and she smiled a sad smile back. Link got back to his feet, looked around, and realized that they were still in Gannon's Castle. Then his memory came back.  
  
"Where'd all the monsters go?" he yelled, his hand straying to his sword hilt. "Where's Gannondorf?"  
  
"Shh." Malon said, putting a finger over his mouth. "You gotta rest. You've been through one heck of a lot." Link slunk back down and leaned up against the wall.  
  
"If you really wanna know what happened," she said, starting to pace back and forth. "Then it was like this. Me and Zelda were allowed to watch your... execution..." (her voice broke right there.) "But Gannondorf thought that we were under his control. And we weren't. So Zelda played a song on the Ocarina of Time and destroyed every monster in here. I mean, _every_ monster."  
  
"Then why the hell didn't she teach it to me? That could have came in handy!" Link said, frowning. Malon's smile faded.  
  
"Umm... well, there's one little side effect." She said, starting to look worried again. "After she played the song, both her _and_ Gannondorf disappeared in a flash. So I have no clue where they are. But... we have this." And with that, she pulled the Ocarina of Time from inside her cloak.  
  
"That reminds me... remember when Gannondorf dragged you off into that portal?" Link asked her, a thought popping into his head.  
  
"Yeah... that was about a month ago. Why?" Malon asked, tilting her head, looking curious.  
  
"N,nothing." Link said, waving his hand dismissively. "We've just gotta find Zelda and kick Gannondorf's evil ass." He started walking toward one of the hundred doors that had opened to reveal a monster. All of them had a blank wall behind them. Link scratched his head, confused, as Malon searched them for a secret passage.  
  
"Dammit, nothing!" Link yelled, slamming his hand into one. "Not a frigging clue!"  
  
"Maybe we could use the Ocarina..." Malon suggested.  
  
"Right. Hold my hand." Link said. Malon took his, and turned red for a second. Link played the _Song of Time_ and a portal appeared in front of them. Link gestured for Malon to walk in.  
  
"Ladies first." he grinned, trying to be cheerful. Malon pretended to be flattered, and stepped straight into the void...  
  
---  
  
... and came out a couple of years older!  
  
"Jeez, how many times am I going to grow up?!" she muttered. Then she took a look around and gasped. They were in Lon Lon Ranch... but it wasnt completely destroyed and in ruins anymore! They were completely restored, and possibly even better than ever. Link walked through after her, and gaped his mouth even wider then Malon had.  
  
"What the... I thought everything was destroyed?" he murmered in awe.  
  
"Maybe... this is after what just happened?" Malon asked him.  
  
"Probably... where we just were must have been when Gannondorf had taken over Hyrule. And this must be the aftermath, when everything had been destroyed."  
  
"But, then where's Gannondorf?" Malon asked. At the wrong time, unfortunately. The ground suddenly began vibrating violently. The ground in front of the couple split open, and a flume of lava rushed out. A geyser of the liquid fire lit up the sky, and smoke billowed out and immediately covered the sky. A massive hand crawled its way from the abyss, followed by a monstrous head. Link was looking up at the head, his mouth wide open. Malon was making the sign of the cross, praying to whatever god she could that this was not real. But of course it was. For this was the King of Shadows, Gannon.  
  
Link drew his Master Sword, but the valiant weapon would merely be a pinprick against this beamoth. Link gritted his teeth... _This isn't going to be a battle. This is definetly the end._ Malon clutched at Link, and the Hero of Time held her close. Gannon glared with one gigantic yellow eye straight at the two huddled together near the Lon Lon farmhouse, and let loose an earthshaking growl. Then with a massive leap, it hopped out of the fissure in the ground, and drew its double-edged sword. In one last attempt to show the beast he wasn't scared, Link drew his Master Sword. _Here we go... the final battle._ Link thought grimly. _Time to raise some hell._


	11. Gannon's End

A fire blazed in Link's eyes as he glared up at the mammoth that Gannondorf had transformed into. Gannon let out a worldshattering bellow that jarred the teeth in Link's mouth and almost shattered his spirit as well. But Link held fast, braced himself for what was coming next, and charged head on toward Gannon. His feet kicked up dirt as he ran through the soft ground, and he ignored Malon's cry of anguish behind him. Gannon let out a deep chuckle, and raised his massive blade. Link leapt to the side as Gannon's dagger slammed into the ground right next to him, gravel and dirt flying around him. Link got up in a flash, and began his charge once more. Gannon growled loudly, and let his other dagger fall. Link hopped to the side once again, and let out a cry as a rock slammed into his knee as it flew out from a boulder Gannon had smashed. He limped a couple of steps, and collapsed on the ground. A distant roar of thunder rolled across the plains, and a single droplet of water fell on Link's face. The Hero of Time opened his eyes, almost as if that raindrop had revived him, and awkwardly got to his feet. He looked up at his foe, and the flame blazed once more in his eye. He reached across his back for his Hero Bow, pulled out a Light Arrow, and aimed right at Gannon's horrible face. He let fly with the holy weapon, and it flew straight and true right at the King of Darkness. But the arrow merely bounced off his face armor, making hardly a dent. Gannon roared with sinistar laughter at his tiny opponent's face, his mouth dropped open in confusion and horror.  
  
"So, young Link, you wonder how I survived your Arrow of Light?" Gannon rumbled, his voice so low it could cause whole mountains to collapse. "Well this time, Fool of Time, I have a bit if protection with me." And he opened a gnarled hand, and imbedded in one dagger was a crystal. And inside that crystal was Princess Zelda, her face frozen with angst and dispair.  
  
"What did you do to her?!" Link shrieked, his voice cracking through mid-sentance.  
  
"Don't worry about her, she's merely in suspended animation!" Gannon sneered, his vile palm closing around the hilt of his blade. "Of course, there may not be any way to get her out of it, but that's not my problem, is it?" A growing hatred welled up in Link, and he was nerves were streatched to the breaking point. But Gannon wasn't through with his taunting.  
  
"Of course, I only have one crystal for two daggers." Gannon said, a grin widening across his face. "So I'll have to add another doll to my collection... a redhead will do nicely!" One long finger pointed straight at Malon, and Gannon muttered something below his breath. In a flash of light, Malon was imprisioned in a crystal, her hands beating against it, her mouth obviously showing that she was screaming Link's name over and over again. Link cried out, and ran all the way back to her, but Gannon chuckled once more, and with a flick of his wrist, the crystal with Malon in it was floating up toward Gannon's blade.  
  
"NEVER!" Link screamed, whipping out his Longshot. It shot out toward the crystal, but the blade of it merely bounced off as magic in it reflected the Longshot. Gannon laughed a long laugh as the crystal settled on his other knife, and Malon fell silent as she closed her eyes and uttered her last breath. Link looked up at her, tears already welling up in his eyes. He took a long deep breath, and as he closed his eyes,s he seemed to remember every moment he ever spent with her. As soon as he opened them again, all he saw was red as the unmistakable fury that had built up in him exploded. Link ignored his already injured leg and ran at Gannon as fast as he could, Master Sword upraised, screaming with pure rage. Gannon was taken aback by his enemy's sudden attack, but quickly regained himself. He opened his hand, and a beam of purple energy shot from the palm of his hand. It flew straight at Link, and the Hero of Time rose his shield. The Mirror Shield reflected it straight back at Gannon, but it was as much use to Link as the Arrow of Light was. The Mirror Shield shattered from the full force of the blow, and Link let it crumble to the ground, not letting that slow him down one bit.  
  
Gannon chuckled to himself at the young hero's foolish courage, and wielded both daggers straight at him. Gannon let both daggers fall straight at Link, and they both crashed just millameter's behind him. Link continud sprinting, finally reaching Gannon's massive foot, and mad a magnifacent leap into the air. He came back down with his sword stabbing-style, and slammed it directly in the middle of his disgusting foot. Gannon bellowed so loud in pain it almost destroyed Link's eardrums, but Link used his foe's pain to his advantage. He whipped out his Hookshot, and fired it at one of Gannon's daggers, It connected with it, and tugged him up to the huge weapon. Link ran over to the crystal, but at that very moment, Gannon recovered from the pain in his foot. He bared his teeth into a grimace, and his hot breath blasted over Link, almost tearing his hat right off of his head. The other dagger loomed right over Link, and came swinging down right at him. Link leaped onto the crystal, and gritted his teeth as the dagger was cut into too. Suddenly he was falling, the ground reaching up at him, beckoning him to death.  
  
It was a very long drop, and Link had to hold on as tight as he could to what was left of the dagger with all of his might, but his stregnth finally failed him, and he flew through the air. A great pain struck right through him as he landed straight on the ground, and he nearly bounced up again from the sheer force of impact. He groaned in pain, and looked up at Gannon, who had a mask of anger upon his face.  
  
"I do not enjoy plaing games, boy. I want to end this right now!" he roared, gripping his remaining dagger with both hands, holding it high above his head. Link got up to his feet, a bit dazed still, and stumbled over to the half of the dagger that he had destroyed. He turned it over, and gasped when he realized that the crystal was cracked, and Malon inside, unharmed. He rose his sword, and smashed what remained of the crystal. Malon's eyes fluttered open as fresh air got to her, and gazed into Link's eyes, love in her own. Then she looked past Link, and screamed as a look of terror crossed her face. Link whirled around, and dove to the side with Malon a few mere millaseconds before Gannon's blade slammed into the ground, literally bouncing them right off their butts. Gannon roared, and slid the dagger across the ground, hoping to crush them. The couple ran as fast as they could, running all the way back to Gannon's feet, giving him no choice but to pull his blade back up.  
  
"Now what do we do?" she asked him, fright in her eyes. "How on earth are we going to defeat him?"  
  
"I think I might have a way." Link said, panting heavily. "But this plan requires a little bit of _speed._"  
  
"Way ahead of ya." Malon said, a grin across her face. She took a great breath, and burst into song. She let loose _Epona's Song_ And Link pulled into his satchel and accompied her on the Ocarina of Time. A few seconds passed before they could hear the thundering of hooves across the plains. A few more seconds passed, and Epona was in front of them, neighing loudly. Link mounted Epona, and reached out to Malon for her hand, whom was obviously taken aback.  
  
"You don't think I'd take out Gannon without your help?" Link said, a smile upon his face. Malon smiled back, and let him take her upon the horse. Link kicked Epona gently in the stomach, and she took off at a trot at first, then at full gallop. Gannon looked down and spotted the horse kicking up dirt, and let out a bellow of rage. He swung his sword, hoping to slice Epona's feet right from under her. But the skilled steed jumped right over the blade. Link pulled out his Biggoron Sword, and held it like a javelin as Epona turned and ran straight at the beamoth. Link gritted his teeth as he hurled the huge sword straight at Gannon's face as hard as he could. The sword flew straight into one of Gannon's eyes, and this time Link _did_ feel like he was deafened as Gannon let loose a shriek of agony. The beast stumbled a bit, let out another weak shout, and collapsed right onto the ground, nearly jarring their brains right out of their skull. Link grinned grimly at Malon, and ran straight for Gannon's exposed head. His ultimate rival look up one final time before he saw the utmost fury on Link's face as he flashed out the Master Sword, and plunged it straight through Gannon's skull, and into it's brain. This time there was no cry of pain, no deafening scream, just one muttered curse.  
  
"Damn... you....... Link . .. . . ."  
  
And the terror of Hyrule breathed his last horrible breath.  
  
---  
  
Link pulled out his Master Sword with one wet tug, and looked at the end of it. The blood of Gannon had left it's mark on the sacred blade, literally melting the end clear off. Link sighed deeply, and plunged what was left of his trusty sword into the ground. Then he turned around to face Malon, who had her mouth wide open, staring at the massive carcass laid out in front of her. Link walked back to her, took her hand, and the two of them walked to the crystal that still imprisioned Zelda. With a smile to Malon, Link pulled out his Megaton Hammer and smashed Zelda's prision. Zelda lay still for a moment, then her eyes flew open. She looked around to Link, and then to Malon. Then she got up, looked at Gannon, and took a great shuddering breath.  
  
"Oh, God..." she whispered.  
  
"That's what I've been thinking since this whole thing started." Link murmured, shaking his head.  
  
"That's it? Gannon's gone? Game over?" Malon asked, a smile returning to her face.  
  
"Not quite." Zelda said, her eyes darkening. "Somebody's has to make sure this whole mess is fixed. Though in this time period Gannon is done with, in our past, he is alive and kicking."  
  
"So... how do we do that?" Malon asked her nervously. "Do we have to keep going in the past and stopping him?"  
  
"No.. only if one of the Sages sends him to the Sacred Realm. And since I'm the only Sage here..." Zelda said with a heavy heart. She slowly walked to Link and gave him a great hug. She did the same with Malon, and walked over to Gannon's body. She took out the Ocarina of Time, and began to play.  
  
"Wait! What the... how the...?!" Link gasped, reaching into his satchel for the Ocarina. But it wasnt there, of course. Zelda opened her eyes, winked at him, and both shee and what remained of Gannon disappeared in a flash of light.  
  
---  
  
1 year later...  
  
A great reconstruction of Hyrule begun as soon as Gannondorf and Zelda had been transformed to the Sacred Realm. Hyrulians, Gorons, Zoras, Gerudo's and Kukuris all pitched in to repair their world that they had loved so much. And a year after, all was in perfect harmony again... especially with a certain couple.  
  
---  
  
Malon swung lazily in the hammock just outside the horse pen in Lon Lon Ranch, preoccuping herself with pointing out the shaps of clouds that were drifting slowly across the sky. Her concentration was broken on the 32nd cloud when she heard a galloping across the field. She sighed to herself as she smiled, and continued counting. A few minutes later, a horse and rider trotted right next to her, ready to go into the horse pen.  
  
"Back so soon?" Malon asked, opening one eye and glancing up at the green clad Hyrulian.  
  
"Couldn't just leave you here along on such a beautiful day, could I?" Link asked, putting Epona back into her pen and sitting next to Malon on the hammock. Malon sighed and put herself up on Link's lap. They both swung a while on the hammock, Link stroking Malon's hair as she sighed happily.  
  
"You do remember what today is, right?" Malon asked him, her head up against his chest.  
  
"Course." Link replied. "Today's the anniversary of when I met Epona!"  
  
"Umm... that might be true," Malon laughed. "But you do know what today REALLY is, right?"  
  
"Of course. Today's the day that Gannon was expelled from this world, and peace returned."  
  
"And that's the day when you proved that you really loved me." Malon whispered, hugging him tightly.  
  
"Of course I love you Malon..." Link said, stroking her hair once more. "I'll never let you go Malon... I'll never leave you alone."  
  
The two of them let the hours slip by on that sunny summer afternoon, and high above the two, the goddesses smiled upon them. And, of course, so did the Princess of Time. Ages passed, and the two of them continued seeing each other, and as you miht have guessed, got married. Which is awesome truth that love is eternal.


End file.
